Five Best Summer Salads, Indulge Without the Guilt!

Summer is bikini season in most of the world, and given that you’ll be running around in your swimsuit all day the last thing you want to do is overeat and get the belly bloat. Don’t worry, with these summer salads, you’ll be satisfied and happily gallivanting on the beach during last few weeks of the summer vacation!

Wild Arugula Salad

Break out the arugula – an odd peppery-tasting green that mixes surprisingly well with a nice lemon dressing. Add a bit of shaved parmesan onto the top, and drop in some toasted pine nuts and a couple of croutons for good measure. With a splash of lemon and a few drops of olive oil, your salad is ready to be served!

Shaved Squash

Sick and tired of those lettuce-y, green salads? Try something with a different flavor – the flavor of squash. Get a variety of summer squash, zucchini, and a cucumber, and use your potato peeler to peel long strips of the vegetables into a bowl. Toss in a handful of spinach, bits of salty feta cheese and crush some nuts to serve on top. With nothing more than salt, pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and some crushed garlic to dress the salad, you’re in for a treat!

Farmer’s Market Salad

Love all that fresh produce sold at local farmer’s markets? Buy some string beans, a head of spinach, a small pack of mushrooms, a pack of black olives, a couple of small yellow potatoes, and as many cherry tomatoes as you can eat. Toast the mushrooms lightly (no oil in the pan), and slice the potatoes in half to be steamed until soft. Lightly steam the beans until they’re just cooked enough, and put your salad together with a tasty sesame seed oil, soy sauce, and vinegar dressing.

Fresh Cole Slaw

Stay far away from the mayo with this summer salad, but just slice up carrots and cabbage for your slaw. Top it with some fresh fennel, and use pepper, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil to make the perfect light dressing.

The Oddball

This salad is a strange one, and yet it’s absolutely delicious if you make it correctly. Slice cherry tomatoes in half, and place them in a bowl with cubes of watermelon. Sprinkle the salad with sliced almonds, and sprinkle in a bit of feta cheese for flavor. Kick it up a notch with a bit of spinach on the bottom of the bowl and a very simple lemon-based dressing. Let this one chill in the fridge for a bit, and I promise you’ll be pleasantly surprised!